Sustainability
Our big drive towards a sustainable future.
At Sytner Group, we’re currently on a journey, driving towards creating a more sustainable future by investing in and caring for our people and our planet. Ultimately, we want our people and our business to make a difference within the communities in which we exist by finding solutions to protect each other and our environment for generations to come.
Caring For Our Planet
A range of initiatives have been introduced to drive us towards a greener and more sustainable future, and these include:
In 2023, over 97% of the cars we sold were EU6 emissions compliant up from 91% in 2022 (1)
We are actively reducing our own Carbon Footprint – our 2023 emission intensity was 23% lower than in 2022 (2)
Since October 2022, all electricity supplied to Sytner Group has been certified 100% renewable (i.e. zero carbon) (3)
At the end of 2023 we had installed 861 electric charging points across our UK dealerships, an increase of 17% from 2022 (4)
By digitising processes and working towards becoming paperless, we estimate c. 7.5 million fewer sheets of paper have been printed in 2023 (and every year since 2020) (5)
We recycle 100% of surplus PC’s, phones and other IT hardware (6)
We are working hard to substitute products for more sustainable alternatives. For example:-
o Over 72% of the oil used in our workshops during 2023 was carbon neutral (up from 69% in 2022 & 65% in 2021) (7)
o 10/22 of our vehicle cleaning products are certified to be biodegradable (8)
We estimate 100% of all automotive and hazardous waste collected from our dealerships in 2023 was recycled (the same as 2022) as was 86% of general waste (up from 72% in 2021) (9)
Over 197,000 worn out tyre casings (97% of those replaced) were collected for recycling, up from 85% in 2022 (10)
Caring for our people
That doesn’t just mean caring for our colleagues, but also the communities in which we belong to and thrive in.
Automotive excellence
Developing talent and building careers is right at the heart of what we do, as we know that by investing in and nurturing our people, we’ll be better placed to help shape our future and the future of our communities. Here’s some of the ways we do this:
• Providing exciting career opportunities with outstanding learning and development programmes. In 2019, we were named as the UK’s Best Retailer to Work For by the Glassdoor Best Places to Work awards.
• By being the only UK retailer to run an industry-endorsed Technician challenge. Moderated by and in partnership with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), our Elite Technician Challenge seeks to reward the best technician talent we have.
• Actively listening to our colleagues is another area we excel. Our independent annual engagement survey provides meaningful insight so we can take action and make improvements. Last year, we had engagement score of 8.4, which is well above the consumer sector average of 7.8 in the UK.
Celebrating differences and committing to future talent
Embracing diversity and inclusion is of huge importance at Sytner Group, as we are a business committed to our wider group aim of delighting colleagues and customers. Since we were the first automotive retail group to hire a Head of Diversity and Inclusion in 2019, huge steps have been made to create a more inclusive workforce; these include:
• Becoming a member of Inclusive Companies to challenge the lack of diverse representation within the UK, aiding us to foster a truly inclusive environment
• Launching several network groups including; sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity and disability. These groups allow colleagues to be heard and discuss important issues and ideas in the workplace
• Joining the #10000blackinterns programme. Being a part of this programme allows Sytner Group to offer paid work experience, training and development, in turn, transforming the lives and prospects of young black people in the UK
• Partnering with Leicester Pride and pledging to be a headline partner for a number of years is something we’re proud of. We believe we have a duty to stand up and let our colleagues and communities know that ‘we see you, we support you and we embrace you’.
Industry-leading colleague benefits
At Sytner Group, we’re continuing to improve the benefits package offered to our colleagues to give them a better work-life balance:
We’re now providing an extra two days holiday to all colleagues and recognising long service with an added week of holiday for every five years served
Sytner Group provides 90% of colleagues’ average earnings for the first nine months of maternity and adoption leave and the business has increased paternity leave covers a full two weeks of pay.
Joining The Mental Health Charter, gives every colleague the opportunity to access a host of support via an app
Mental health training is now being rolled out across the group
Automotive excellence
Developing talent and building careers is right at the heart of what we do, as we know that by investing in and nurturing our people, we’ll be better placed to help shape our future and the future of our communities. Here’s some of the ways we do this:
• Providing exciting career opportunities with outstanding learning and development programmes. In 2019, we were named as the UK’s Best Retailer to Work For by the Glassdoor Best Places to Work awards.
• By being the only UK retailer to run an industry-endorsed Technician challenge. Moderated by and in partnership with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), our Elite Technician Challenge seeks to reward the best technician talent we have.
• Actively listening to our colleagues is another area we excel. Our independent annual engagement survey provides meaningful insight so we can take action and make improvements. Last year, we had engagement score of 8.4, which is well above the consumer sector average of 7.8 in the UK.
Award-winning Giving-back Programme
Caring for the communities in which we work is a top priority for Sytner Group, and we can evidence this through some examples detailed below:
• Winning the 2022 AM ‘Community Hero’ award
• Every Sytner Group colleague is given one day off, fully paid, to volunteer to support a local charity in whichever way they need
• Since the pandemic began the business has donated over £250,000 to its biggest charity partner, Ben – the automotive charity that supports those working, or have previously worked, in the automotive industry. In March 2023, Sytner Group donated £100,000 to this incredible charity.
• All of our dealerships and stores have local charities that they also support throughout the year. CarShop, our car supermarket brand, donates £1 for every car sold to either Global’s Make Some Noise or a locally-selected store charity.
Modern Slavery
Sytner Group only does business with organisations that share our commitment to working ethically, and provides an undertaking to comply with the current Modern Slavery Act 2016 legislation. We have a zero tolerance approach to modern slavery and, more generally, the underpayment of workers. Sytner Group is also committed to ensuring that its associates (including suppliers) do not knowingly aid, abet or facilitate any type of tax evasion.
Sytner Group operates a robust auditing process on the most susceptible third party companies to modern slavery that it is conducts business with, which is detailed within our modern slavery statement.
Footnotes
1. From 1 September 2015, all new cars registered in the UK had to meet EU6 emissions requirements. In 2023 we retailed 199,546 vehicles. Of these, 193,500 (97%) were brand new or registered after 1/9/15 and are therefore EU6 compliant, up from 91% in 2022.
2. We work with Energy Intelligence Centre Limited (EIC) who monitor our Energy consumption and Carbon emissions and consolidate them annually into a Streamlined Energy and Carbon Report (SECR). In 2022, our measured emissions were 33,412 tCO2e (from our consumption of electricity, gas, petrol and diesel) and our annual revenue over the period was £6.832bn. In 2023, emissions reduced to 28,113 tCO2e whilst revenue increased to £7.435bn. Consequently, our Energy Intensity Ratio (i.e. CO2/Revenue) in 2023 was 23% lower than in 2022 (and 35% lower than in 2021).
3. From October 2022, Sytner Group entered into a contract whereby all electricity purchased is matched to Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) in respect of a named wind farm asset. This enables zero emission reporting in accordance with the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.
4. At 31st December 2023, we had installed 861 vehicle charge points across our UK businesses (734 at 31st December 2022). We continue to invest and by 2024, expect to have over 1,000 charge points.
5. Sytner Group has replaced paper-based deal files with a digital document management platform, removing c.6 million pieces of printed paper PA. The introduction of digital signing technology has avoided c1.5 million pieces of paper being printed.
6. 100% of Sytner Group’s e-waste IT assets are handed to our UK registered partner for recycling, who comply fully with all environmental regulations including the WEEE directive. Our partner operates a ‘zero to landfill’ policy, and every component is either reclaimed or recycled using only vetted UK recycling providers with full permits and accreditations. Nothing is sent anywhere outside of the UK.
7. In 2023, we used a total of 2,021,451 litres of engine oils/lubricants. Of this, 1,469,051 litres (72.67%) were OW premium grade produces provided by Shell that they certify are carbon neutral. In 2022, the proportion was 69.58%. Shell confirm they have achieved this through a combination of green packaging, distribution, energy mix, efficiencies at refineries and offsets.
8. From 1st July 2022, all vehicle cleaning products have been sourced from a single supplier and have been selected to be the least harmful to the environment whist achieving the best results. Our supplier has confirmed to us that 10 of the 22 products in use are certified biodegradable.
9. We use Enva, a fully licensed and ISO-accredited waste management company, to collect automotive and hazardous waste from 100% of our GB dealerships. At over 98% of these locations, they also handle general waste collections. Enva provide us with reports on the recycling rates of the waste they collect, the figures we present are based on the sites where Enva has full coverage and we assume the performance is replicated at other locations where transfer to Enva is pending. We continue to move towards a full nationwide relationship with Enva for all key waste streams.
10. 2023 is the second year we have tracked the disposal of used tyre casings. We purchase tyres from three main suppliers who collectively report to us that in 2023 they supplied 202,488 new tyres and removed 197,303 used casings for recycling via their own programs.